So it’s no surprise that nobody this week was perfect. No smoking jackets to hand out. What a shame.

The YPE standings remain close at the top: Ptsander and The Natural are tied for the lead, with Ralph Walker, catdaddy38, Hotterhand and BigPanther all in hot pursuit. If someone slips up (like I did, going 4-4 this week) it’s anyone’s gift certificate to a local food establishment to win. Except Ptsander, who is ineligible. Here are the full standings.

And, much like last week, picking the rest of the way gets a whole lot harder. It’s conference play for all local teams now. Everyone’s games matter. Click here to make your picks for this week, but read below if you want a little more information.

Hoggard at New Bern: This game last year was a thriller and New Bern only won by stuffing Hoggard’s 2-point conversion attempt. I’d expect similar fireworks this year, because both teams are undefeated.

Laney at Rose: Rose surprised a few people (myself included) by badly beating Ashley in Wilmington last week. Laney suffered a tough loss against Hoggard and will have something to prove this week. A big road win would make the Bucs feel a lot better about their season.

New Hanover at Ashley: Both teams felt their games could and should have been more competitive last week. Who bounces back harder? As a side note, Ashley has only beaten New Hanover once, in 2004.

Whiteville at West Brunswick: Don’t touch the Trojans right now, they’re on fire with a three-game winning streak.

North Brunswick at South Columbus: Nobody hangs around in the Waccamaw like North Brunswick. The Scorpions are always in the conference title race, and so is South Columbus. Whoever wins this game has an inside track to a No. 1 overall seed for the 2A playoffs.

Union at Wallace-Rose Hill: The Bulldogs are 3-0 in the Tri-County, but have needed some last-second heroics to get there. Will Union take advantage, or is the Bulldogs’ weakness only perceived?

Topsail at Clinton: If the Pirates want a decent playoff seed and stay relevant in the East Central, they’ll need to win this game.

Red Springs at East Columbus: East Columbus hasn’t beaten Red Springs in two years, but the Gators have already equaled their win total from 2011 with four. It’s been more than a decade since East Columbus had more than six wins in a season. Plus, the winner of this game is a pretty fair bet for a Three Rivers Conference championship. If you’re in Columbus County, this game will be worth the price of admission.

About This Blog

Hey there, I’m Alex Rileyand I’m the high school sports writer for the StarNews in Wilmington.

Before coming to North Carolina, I was covering sports for the Wyoming Tribune Eagle in Cheyenne for two-plus years. Before that, I was in Ellis County, Texas covering sports for Waxahachie Newspapers Inc. Originally I’m from Blythewood, SC and I’m a 2008 grad of the University of South Carolina.

Follow me on Twitter at @StarNewsVarsity or email me at alex.riley@starnewsonline.com.